Semantic Feature Take Away

What is a semantic feature?

A semantic feature is an after reading strategy which set up in a grid format. It contains 4 columns and as many rows as necessary that apply to subject or story at hand. The first column will contain headings, along with the second and third columns. The fourth column will be used for additional notes for the student to jot down for future use, as in for testing.


+ or -
Setting: 1963 NYC subway
Clay
Lulu

Notes

Race
-
-

Culture


Characters have a common culture as they both live in NY
Socio-economics
+
+

Goals



Sex



Civil Rights


Opposite sex
Power



Age
+
+


What is it used for?

Initially it is used as an after reading strategy, however, students are able to use it as a visual graphic design to categorize pertinent information about a text. In this case, this one is used for the play "Dutchman" by Amiri Baraka. A "+" is placed where characters are alike and a "-" is placed where they do not have a similarity.

Why is it useful?
Providing students with a visual representation is always helpful, especially for visual learners.